Paul and Lucy Spadoni periodically live in Tuscany to explore Paul’s Italian roots, practice their Italian and enjoy “la dolce vita.”
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Sunday, March 27, 2016

A perfect day for the first of our 50 hikes in the hills of Tuscany

Almost there--We take a selfie while gathering strength for the final assault.

The predicted warmest day of March and
a book called “50 Hikes in and around Tuscany” both shouted at us
yesterday, saying we should take a hike—and so we did, spending a
good part of the Saturday before Easter taking the Monte Pisano loop.
It is listed as a moderately easy five-mile hike that takes about
three hours, and experienced trekkers that we are, we knocked it out
in a little more than five hours—we like to stop and smell the
flowers, eat the chocolate chip cookies and M&Ms from our
backpacks, and take various breaks for photos and to catch our
breath.

We had a little trouble finding the way
to the trail head, because our GPS device couldn’t find the address
we put in, and the guidebook gave directions from Firenze and Pisa
but not from Lucca. After fussing with the GPS for 15 minutes, we
gave up and just decided to go through Buti and pick up the guidebook
directions from there.

It cost us an extra 10 minutes of driving
time, but hey, who wouldn’t want to go through a city called Buti
(understand that the Italian “u” is pronounced like the “oo”
in boot). Of course, I had to stop and have Lucy snap a photo of the
sign, and she said point to the “Buti,” and so I did.

We found this a perfect time of the
year to hike, because the deciduous trees still have no leaves, the
plants and flowering trees are blooming and the temperature is
perfect. The only problem is the perpetual haze in this area of
Tuscany that prevents long-distance views. I think some of the haze
is naturally occurring, but most of it is likely caused by the
burning of olive branches and smoke from the paper manufacturing
factories that are abundant in the region. Each of the 50 million or
so olive trees of Tuscany has to be pruned to be fruitful next fall,
and then the branches are burned throughout the winter and early
spring. The day had almost no wind, so the haze deepened throughout
the day, preventing us seeing more than about 40 miles.

A nice photo taken by Lucy. See what I mean about the haze?

Lucy coming up the trail just before we stopped to take a cookie break.

The guidebook says, “From the summit
you can clearly see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the mouth of the
Arno River, as well as the Tuscan Archipelago to the west, the Tuscan
hill country to the south, the Alpi Apuane, Cinque Terre, and Lucca
to the north. On an incredibly clear day, particularly in the winter,
you can see the snow capped French Alps across the sea.” We could,
with great difficulty, make out the Leaning Tower in Pisa and the
towers in Lucca, but we could only see as far north as Viareggio—only
about a third of the way to Cinque Terre. We didn’t even try to
take long distance photos, because of the haze and the fact that we
don’t have a telephoto lens and a polarizing filter.

We did see this view of Lucca, but not as clearly as the one another blogger captured and I have borrowed.

We noticed that even the scenic photos
from the guidebook were hazy. However, I later went online to some
other blogs and tourism websites and grabbed a couple of photos of
what we might have seen on the right kind of day and with the proper
equipment. We couldn’t see Montecarlo because it was either too far
away or blocked by Monte Serra, the highest of the mountains of Pisa
and the one with all the telecommunications antennae that we see
every day from our terrazzo. We did enjoy watching three hang gliders sailing over Lake Massaciuccioli, although they were pretty far away.

See the Torre di Pisa down there? Neither do I, but we could just make it out as a little speck in real life.

Lucy commented that what impressed her
the most were the bicyclists, who rode their mountain bikes all the
way to the top of the mountain. “They had great stamina and
fortitude, as well as giant leg muscles,” she said. “Riding down
would be scary, too, with the gravel and rocks. And won’t their
brakes overheat?” I told her that their bikes were probably worth
more than some of our cars. Two bicyclists had bikes with electric
motors to help with the climb. There were a few other hikers, but we
were by ourselves for the most part. Monday is Pasquetta, a
traditional day in Italy when families take hikes and picnic in the
countryside, so it probably will be more crowded then.

This is also a borrowed photo. Le Cinque Terre would be just about where the sun is setting, although on the seaboard side, so on a clear day, one can see as far as the Cinque Terre, but not actually see them. In the foreground is Lago di Massaciuccioli, the lake which mostly famous because Giacomo Puccini had a home nearby and often went huting and fishing there. Behind the lake is the beach-side city of Viareggio.

Lucy refused my challenge to engage in
a pine cone fight.

We hope in the weeks and years to come
to take more of the 50 routes listed in the book, especially some in
the nearby Alpi Apuane—even if most of those promise to be more
strenuous. We’re thankful that we’ve chosen to come to Italy
while our health still permits us to take hikes like this.

Spuds, I too am enjoying the vicarious life as seen through your words and pictures! Your explorations of the "fatherland" (Italy) actually encouraged me to visit Norway last summer for my pilgrimage. Keep up the blogs!

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About Me

First off, before you hassle me about our title, Lucy thought of it. Yes, I know some people may think broad is derogatory, but the etymology is uncertain and she doesn’t find it offensive, and it made me laugh. We have been married since 1974 and are empty-nesters now, which allows me to bring my submerged Italophilia into the open. We first came to live in Italy from February-April in 2011 and have returned during the same months every year. From 2011-2015, we lived in San Salvatore, at the foot of the hilltop city Montecarlo, where my paternal grandparents were born, raised and, in 1908, married. In late 2015, we bought a home in Montecarlo. We come for a variety of purposes: We want to re-establish contact with distant cousins in both Nonno’s and Nonna’s families, we want to learn the language and see what it is like to live as Italians in modern Italy, we like to travel and experience different cultures. Even if we aren’t successful at achieving these purposes, we love Italy and enjoy every moment here, so there is no chance we will be disappointed. I am grateful to God for giving me a wife who is beautiful, clever, adaptable and willing to jump into my dreams wholeheartedly.